bây giờ
[ʔɓəj˧˧ zəː˨˩]
The English word "now" is translated into Vietnamese as bây giờ.
bây giờ is the general and common way to say "now" to indicate the present time. For more specific emphasis on a singular, exact moment, speakers may use lúc này, which translates to "at this moment".
Meaning: at the present time (adv)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase bây giờ is composed of bây, meaning "this" or "at this" and giờ, meaning "hour" or "time". On its own, giờ can mean "hour" or "o'clock" when discussing the time.
Which one should you use?
While bây giờ is the standard term for "now", lúc này is used to emphasize a specific, singular moment in time, similar to saying "at this very moment".
Did you know?
- The first part of the phrase, bây, is related to words in the Khasi and Pacoh languages through a Proto-Mon-Khmer ancestor.
- Beyond its literal meaning, bây giờ is used as a transition word to shift topics, much like saying 'Now, let us look at…' in English.
Examples in context
- Tôi đến bây giờ.I am arriving now.This sentence shows how to use bây giờ to indicate an action happening currently.Tatoeba #11392982 by mqd, translation #13723932 by an_hien
- Bây giờ là 5 giờ.It's five o'clock now.This sentence demonstrates using bây giờ when stating the current time.Tatoeba #9844007 by dotheduyet1999, translation #9007281 by Kenbi93
- Bây giờ là 2 rưỡi.It's 2:30 now.This sentence shows an example of stating the current time with minutes.Tatoeba #9734374 by dotheduyet1999, translation #2396254 by CK
- Tôi đang làm việc bây giờI am working now
- Hiện nay, cuộc sống đang khá thịnh vượngNowadays, life is quite prosperous
- Chúng ta sẽ tiếp tục thảo luận vấn đề này tại thời điểm nàyWe will continue discussing this issue at this moment
- 99 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Minh and Mai are talking on the phone.
- MinhMai ơi, bây giờ bạn có bận không?Mai, are you busy now?
- MaiKhông, bây giờ tôi đang rảnh.No, I am free now.
- MinhVậy bây giờ chúng ta đi cà phê nhé?Then shall we go for coffee now?
- MaiĐược, đi bây giờ luôn đi!Okay, let's go right now!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “now” translations and entries bây giờ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bây, bây giờ, giờ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
